As technology reshapes the workplace, don’t neglect the people

There’s a general consensus that in the future, our region’s jobs will largely mirror today’s. However, my work with tech innovation has convinced me that the future is going to be very different from what we imagine.

Education and infrastructure needs will be challenged in significant new ways and even entrepreneurs will have their worlds rocked.

Advances in robotics and software are already eliminating human jobs. Banks are phasing out tellers in favor of kiosks that use intelligent software. In Europe, a convoy of autonomous trucks recently completed a cross-European trip without human intervention. Amy Ingram is all the rage; she is an artificial intelligence-enabled app who organizes meetings for a growing number of small businesses.

Meanwhile, entrepreneurs are developing business models that center around using DNA to build new life forms, or as a medium for data storage to replace magnetic hard disks. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson compete to create new businesses to transport tourists to space, while Boeing and Lockheed Martin develop tourist habitats for spacefarers. Facebook and others will unleash virtual reality later this year and, closer to home, Inova in Fairfax is making strides in cancer treatment on a personal genetic level.

All of these technology trends, and many others, are well under way and have taken root. Quite arguably, our society will…

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About Jonathan Aberman

Jonathan is highly respected and valued thought leader on entrepreneurship and innovation. His work as a venture investor, innovation consultant, university professor and media commentator, allows him to experience and connect the many threads of entrepreneurship and technology innovation that are core to the United States economy and its future.